Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week day 1

Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week. It was Long Beach, home of the notorious summer sea breeze that roars down the San Pedro Channel like an express train. So what was with the wimpy six to seven knots that greeted 150 boats in 15 classes for the first day of competition in Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week?

Deneen Demourkas didn't remember it that way, Michael Johnson towed his J/24 down from Seattle expecting something more than the wimpy six to seven knots he saw Friday, and Jeff Janov didn't want to talk about it.

Nevertheless, all three led their classes after the first two of seven races to be run over the weekend---Demourkas, with third and first places, shared first place in Farr 30s while Johnson of Seattle and Janov of Marina del Rey led the J/24 and Farr 40 fleets, respectively.

Demourkas, from Santa Barbara, developed her big-boat skills in Long Beach competing against her husband John on Farr 40s and 30s named Groovederci, but she hadn't raced here in six years while hitting the European Tour, where she won two Tour de France classics in Farr 30s.

Other than the lack of breeze Friday, she said, 'I would have been happier if I didn't let my husband get me in the first race.'

John Demourkas (1-3) has a piece of the lead, as does Rhonda Tolar on Wild Thing (2-2). In fact, three of the seven boats are skippered by women, a growing trend in the sport.

'Six years ago I was the only one,' Deneen Demourkas said.

Johnson (1-3), despite sharing the J/24 lead with David Klatt's Jaded (2-2) from Ventura, said, 'We were hoping to have more wind---and more sun, too, actually. That's why we came down from Seattle.'

After winning the J/24 Western Regionals, he had hoped to use the event to prepare for the class worlds at Buenos Aries in November.

Then there was Janov, who on the same waters just last month blitzed the fleet with Dark Star in the Farr 40 North Americans when the wind blew so hard that one day's racing was momentarily moved inside the breakwater. Now, with a 2-1 record in sharply different conditions, he already has a firm three-point lead over Frederic Scheer's Far Niente (3-3).

The regatta's namesake, Dave Ullman, is his tactician for this event, which was no doubt a factor.

The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday isn't much better. Racing is scheduled to start at noon. The bigger boats are racing on two courses outside the breakwater, the smallest ones inside near the beach.

Open 5.70s are the largest fleet with 21 boats - Day 1 - Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week 2011

The latter include the largest class, the Open 5.70s, with 21 boats and the defending champion, Tracey Kenney on Hat Trick (1-3), tied for first place with Rich Festa on II havic (3-1). It could be a big year for the ladies.